


I'd Pay to See You Frown

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Before the actual game plot, F/M, I feel bad for xander in this tbh, Incest (?) not really tho, Sibling Bonding, it's mainly just happy times and learning yay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 21:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7480947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At first she never smiled. At first she never spoke. At first she was that helpless young girl who would scurry throughout the halls of the fortress and never made her presence known. Occasionally if you strolled down one of many corridors you would see a streak of silver hair hide behind the corner before disappearing into the abyss of darkness that no candle dared to illuminate. She was like a ghost that no one dared to encounter. </p><p> </p><p>---</p><p>Elise, Xander, Leo and Camilla all try and forge a better relationship with the 'Ghost Girl of the Northern Fortress' or how they knew her as, "Corrin"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Secret of the Ghost

At first she never smiled. At first she never spoke. At first she was that helpless young girl who would scurry throughout the halls of the fortress and never made her presence known. Occasionally if you strolled down one of many corridors you would see a streak of silver hair hide behind the corner before disappearing into the abyss of darkness that no candle dared to illuminate. She was like a ghost that no one dared to encounter. 

 

It was even worse when the girl once went on a trip to Castle Krakenburg for her 11th birthday. Many nobles showed up to the large party the king so graciously put on for her. She never showed up. Instead she spent the entire night in her room, with her butler-in-training calming her down as she struggled to make her way out from beneath a wooden table that occupied the left corner of the room. She still remembers how her father yelled at her for skipping that celebration. 

 

Years after years she would never begin to even speak to her siblings or her retainers. Many were convinced she had damaged her vocal cords, making it so she couldn’t speak, but even Xander, her older brother, was determined to make her speak, and it certainly was not by the same method their father had ordered Gunter to attempt. 

 

At this point, it had been 5 years since the girl was taken from her original kingdom, and 5 years where she found herself too intimidated to leave her room at times. The king was still not impressed by this and was almost done with the girl’s actions, if not for the interfering by Camilla and Xander, Garon would’ve ordered for the princess’ death, despite what an important pawn she was in his plans. Instead, the king had ordered for his children to make their way to the Northern Fortress, where the princess was kept under quarantine, and prove to him that she was still able to make normal human contact by the month’s end. Of course, their youngest sister, Elise was meant to stay behind as she was too young to make a long trip such as that. 

 

The velvet-lined carriage was extremely uncomfortable for the three royals. The bumps in the road which made all three crash into the walls of that small horse-driven box only got more frequent the closer they got to their destination. Camilla spent the trip which a piece of cloth, needle and thread in hand, silently cross-stitching with a small smile planted on her pale face. Xander, on the other hand, looked through report after report, the endless stack of paper never seemed to go down on the duration of their trip. The youngest in the carriage, Leo, only had one book with him. It was his first time to go see his older sister at the fortress, and he had yet to make a final first impression since their brief meeting at Windmire. 

The arrival to the establishment was always the same. Gunter waited outside alongside 10 or so guards who, according to the great knight, was about 40% of the staff that were allowed to guard the princess while she was in isolation. Few of them were allowed out to see their families, if they had them. Most were extremely loyal to the royal family and had to at least had 5 years experience at Windmire before being allowed to transfer to the Northern Fortress, for the safety of the princess. With a wave and a nod, Gunter led the three inside the small isolated castle.

Surprisingly, the girl was standing in the dining room, dressed up in a black long Nohrian dress with gold additions. She wore black stockings with black Mary Janes with gold buckles. Her silver hair remained in its untamed stubborn state, a few locks fell over her shoulders gracefully as her crimson eyes narrowed toward her guests. In her hair she wore a black ribbon with a gold Nohrian crest in the middle, holding the fabric together, it complimented the silver hair nicely, and truly made it look as if the silver gave off a heavenly glow. After a few solid seconds of silence and cold glaring, the girl bowed, her hands reaching her shins, and soon regained a normal straight posture. 

“W-welcome,” was the only thing she said, her voice was quiet, calm yet had a tinge of fear and anger hidden in the mix. Leo was the only one of the siblings taken aback by her voice, as he had never heard her speak. She had a slight accent with her voice, along with a noticeable struggle to properly pronounce the ‘l’ of the world ‘welcome’ which was the more surprising part of her greeting. 

Camilla was the first to approach the girl, and soon embraced her in a hug. “My dear, sweet Corrin, how nice to see you again!” She cooed as she stroked her hair lovingly. ‘Corrin’ didn’t return the hug, but her eyes certainly didn’t hide any surprise by her sister’s sudden movements. 

It took a warning from Xander to get Camilla to finally let go of the smaller, and for once Xander saw a small smile creep onto the Corrin’s face, but whatever he saw, soon disappeared once she laid eyes on the new addition they had brought with them. It didn’t take long for Camilla and Xander to realise what she was staring at, and the expression she gave the small boy was more than enough to make him realise he was less than welcome in her presence. 

Clearing his throat, Xander stood behind his smaller brother and placed his hands on his shoulders, as Camilla joined him by his side. “Corrin, this is your little brother, Leo. You met him briefly when you went to the capital with us, remember?” She did not reply in any shape or form. Instead she just stared daggers at the boy, who she predicted was around 8 or 9, 10 if he was just short. 

No one said anything. Corrin looked to the side, and then behind her where she saw her friend, and future retainer, Jakob. She nodded at him and soon turned her body around and went to make her leave. Jakob stepped forward and bowed at the royals before speaking up. “Lady Corrin has lessons to attend to, please excuse us.”

Camilla nodded as to excuse him and soon wrapped her arms around Leo’s neck as soon as Xander removed his hands from his shoulders to step forward, closer to the young teenager. “What lessons? Father nor Sir Gunter had informed us she was taking lessons, especially so close to our arrival time.” His stern look was certainly frightening to the young boy, but by now he had definitely made enough space for Corrin to leave peacefully without further distraction. 

“I’m surprised to learn this,” Jakob began, clearing his throat before continuing, “but Milady has to attend her English lessons.”   
  
“English lessons?” The crown prince soon questioned.

“...I must excuse myself now.” The butler bowed once more and made his way out of the room to catch up with his liege. 

 

It was then more secrets about the girl had been revealed.  _ She couldn’t speak English.  _

 

At first she never smiled. At first she never spoke. At first, no matter how hard they tried, she wouldn’t express emotion or empathy. It was then that they realised this. It was then that the crown prince realised how impossible his mission was. The ghost girl of the Northern Fortress, his younger sister...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I have another fic I should be working on but you see I like the entire idea behind the sibling growth of Xander, Camilla and Leo toward Corrin.
> 
> SO LIKE CORRIN CAME FROM HOSHIDO SO WHY WOULD SHE KNOW ENGLISH IF THEY SPOKE JAPANESE IN HOSHIDO THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO TACKLE HERE-
> 
> So here are the current ages of the siblings in this chapter
> 
> Xander: 19
> 
> Camilla: 17
> 
> Corrin: 12
> 
> Leo: 10
> 
> Elise: 4
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


	2. O What a Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He senses something, call it desperation  
> Another dollar, another day  
> And if she had the proper words to say,  
> She would tell him  
> But she'd have nothing left to sell him
> 
> ~ Mona Lisa - Panic! At the Disco

A few days had passed since their arrival, many hours of thought Xander put into his studies to teach one a new language. He had not seen his little sister since the day of their arrival and yet, he couldn’t help but wonder how she got through so many years of isolation, without learning their language? Surely she had a simple grasp on the simplicities so perhaps he needn’t worry about that. It isn’t as easy as teaching Elise, since when she was a newborn she was taught English and Italian, and raised so far along with those languages on her tongue. The same could be said for Leo, but his vocabulary was expanded by his fascination for books and reading. He knew nothing about his little sister because he had yet to spend proper quality time with her, unlike Camilla. 

Still lost in his thoughts, he ran a hand through his blonde hair, a sigh escaping his lips as he peered over to the stack of reports he had to send off to the capital by the end of the week. A small knock on the door had echoed through his ears, but it didn’t break him away from his train of thought. Again. Still not enough.  _ Again _ . His eyes snapped open as he pushed against the wooden desk before him and stood up, making his way to the door through the candlelit room. 

He grasped the door handle and pulled the door open to reveal a small girl, eyes blood red and wide like always. “Corrin…” He whispered, to receive a nod from the girl who stood before him. He made his way out of his room and closed the door, his eyes still fixated on the child. “What is you want, little princess?” She seemed to respond positively since he called her that once, so it has always been his nickname for her since that day. 

“Din...Dinner.” She said, no emotion to her voice nor her face as she said so. Her voice was so soft, so pure. He smiled and nodded before she left once again. Xander watched as her soft footsteps disappeared into nothing as she stepped into the darkness the corridor offered. Many talk about the light at the end of the tunnel, this girl turned her back on it and instead walked toward the darkness. 

The dinner table was stocked with food of many sorts, meat, salads, fruit, potato. By the time the eldest made his way into the dining room, he saw what kind of feast was laid out in preparation for their dinner. His siblings were already sitting by the table. Camilla sat at the far end on the right, while Leo and Corrin sat next to each other at the back and an open chair was pulled out ready for his arrival. As soon as he sat down, one of the maids-in-training (who introduced herself earlier as “Flora”) placed a glass next to his plate and poured water in it, her hand holding a cloth at the bottom of the jug to prevent any water spilling out from the end. She then repeated the process to the others, giving a small side glance to Camilla when she reached her. 

Camilla and Xander both started to fill their plates with food, salads on half of the plate, a small side of potato and meat for the rest. A balanced meal for them both. Leo, on the other hand, took a large portion of salad and only potato for a side compliment. Meat, as Camilla had learnt over the years, was not his favourite thing in the world. Corrin took a small amount of the potato and stood up and whispered something to Flora who took her leave soon after

“So…” Camilla was the one to break the heavy silence that plagued the table. “Leo have you taken the chance to talk to our dear Corrin yet?” She asked, glancing to her brother and then to her little sister. Corrin sat back down and looked to the side, guilt clinging to her face. 

“...You could say that.” The blonde replied coldly, picking a tomato off his fork and eating it. It was Leo that Camilla worried about the most about socialising with their new sister. He wasn’t one to talk much or stray away from his books but at this point, Corrin was the only one who was close to his age and had the potential to be someone he could go to with his problems, or that was how Camilla has phrased it. 

“What do you mean by that, little brother?” Xander inquired, his eyes making their way to his feasting sibling. 

“It’s nothing…” Leo continued to eat, still avoiding eye contact with anyone at that table. 

Camilla turned her attention to Corrin next, the small pale elf-like girl next to him. Corrin hadn’t eaten anything that day and Camilla would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t worry about that young princess. “So Corrin, did you do anything fun today?” She asked softly and slowly for her to understand. 

“No…” Corrin replied, sitting back down and staring at her food like she did every night. “B-but…” She began, which intrigued both of her older siblings greatly, but annoyed Leo. “L-Leo showed m-me a...uh, n-new, um, book, to read…”

“Awww that’s so cute! Leo that’s so nice of you ~” Camilla cooed, wishing she would go hug both her little brother and sister as hard as she could, if not for the ice cold glare Leo was giving right now. 

“First, she stole it off me. Second, I hate her. Third, that is  _ not  _ cute,” He replied in a huff before getting up. “Please excuse me for the night.” He didn’t even get a response from Camilla or Xander before running off back to the safety of his room. 

Of course, Leo’s accusations didn’t go unheard. Xander turned his eyes back to the younger girl, who was now just staring blankly at her lap until she was properly excused. “Corrin,” he began, receiving a twitch from her long, elf-like ears. “Did you steal that book from Leo?” That was when he truly caught her attention. 

Her head jolted upwards and locked her crimson eyes with his. The expression in her face was on that Xander hated to see on his younger sibling’s faces, one of betrayal and hurt. She didn’t reply; she looked at her brother then back to her lap. A part of her did feel betrayed that Xander would think that of her. Xander, of all people. Well, at least it wasn’t Gunter or Flora or Felicia. They were the only people who cared about her, after all, or so she told herself.

“Corrin.” He said more firmly this time, earning a flinch from his younger sister. That hurt more than anything. 

“I-i d-didn’t take it…” she admitted quietly. “I-i-i asked him a-about it, a-and he told m-me to g-go away…” Her voice was still blank, like usual, but there was some shakiness hidden beneath that light Hoshidan accent still left in her. 

This was another thing Xander took note of, the fact she seemed to have an interest in reading, or in getting to know her little brother, but reading. After a small chat with Corrin, or as much as the older siblings could get out of her, they all left to their own separate quarters, but Camilla insisted she go with Corrin and stay with her until she falls asleep. Xander had his own plans, however. 

*

The crown prince had to admit that the Northern Fortress in the middle of the night was not the one of his favourite places to be. He always had an unsettling feeling of being watched and the occasional spine tingle, but nothing too extreme. An unsettling feeling was this Paladin’s downfall, as it took him off his guard and was one of his weakest moments. 

Previously after dinner, Camilla and Corrin went off together after Leo had stormed off. Xander normally would’ve accompanied them to his quarters and then continued with the mountain of paperwork that sat on his desk but he had no intention of doing that tonight. His main mission was Corrin, for her life was on the line. He had made a promise to Gunter to discuss something in the training grounds outside of the fortress. It was a small area, a good amount of bare trees surrounded it and it had a sturdy weapons rack with spare tomes, spears, bows, swords and other weapons. It seemed like the normal at a noble’s abode.

Of course, Gunter showed up as he promised. A leather ball in hand, for some strange reason. “Ah, Sir Gunter. It’s nice to see you. May I inquire what the ball is about?” Xander asked, examining the ball from the safety of his current distance, not that he really would’ve felt unsafe around that ball, it just would’ve reminded him of what childhood he and his siblings would have had with their father, if he hadn’t of...changed so much. 

Gunter straightened his back before clearing out his throat to speak, holding the ball behind his back. “Ah, yes Milord. You see, I found it also a bit hard to connect with Lady Corrin so I created this ball and I throw it to her every now and then and it turns into a game of catch. It works but it also is an uncertain chance that she’ll play along all the time.” Gunter concluded, looking up at the entirety of the outside of the castle that the princess was imprisoned inside of. “So you wanted to speak to me about something, Lord Xander?” 

Snapping out of his little mind search, Xander found himself once again focused at the task at hand, looking at the old veteran and nodding. “Yes, you see, I understand Corrin has many lessons while she is here. English, Literature, Magic, Sewing, Fitness, Music. All in all a few subjects that she takes interest in, correct?” 

“That is correct, Milord.”   


“Good. I wish for all her tutors to terminate their lessons and allow me and my siblings to take over for the time being.” The blonde replied in a stiff tone. 

“Milord?”

“It’s crucial that she begins to warm up to us, and with all her lessons in the way, it takes away from the point of this trip. We shall take over, understand?” Xander hated the way he had to phrase that, but he felt he needed the upper hand in the conversation, despite being in a higher social status, he still needed to be the higher in order to get what he wanted, no, needed. 

“I shall inform her teachers immediately, Milord.” Gunter said, bowing and ready to take his leave. Xander left him with a nod and he found himself alone, staring at the grey Nohrian sky above his head. It was beautiful on some occasions, and tonight was one of them. 

 

*

The early morning breeze had graced Corrin with a sense of freedom, which was nothing but a foreign feeling to the small princess. It was one of the few times she was allowed outside of the fortress, even if she had guard of every shape and size breathing down her neck, it still felt wonderful. 

As usual, Camilla and Xander were watching over the youth as she ventured into the small enclosed area where Gunter had showed the older royals earlier in the morning. A moment of peace had washed over the group and it was Corrin’s siblings who lavished in it the most, enjoying the serenity of not being under their father’s gaze all the time, to have only one mission where bloodshed in the name of Nohr would not be necessary. 

“It’s nice to see her like this,” Camilla hummed, her arms crossed along her body. Her purple orbs hovered over the small girl who happened to be holding a young bird within her palms. She saw her little sister hold up the bird to Jakob, who simply smiled and nodded, cupping the young girl’s hands within his own, holding up the bird and allowing it to fly off and return to its own life. 

“Camilla?” Xander called, but much like his younger sister, he kept his eyes on his mission in front of him, who was now laying on the ground below her and staring up at the dark, Norhian sky where the sun has yet to shine. 

The purple-haired princess glanced at the blonde next to her, raising an eyebrow as she hummed in curiosity. He, in turn, stared back at her then back to Corrin who was pointing out what she could see in the clouds above her. “What is it, Xander?” She finally said, earning his attention once more. 

He cleared his throat and furrowed his brows. “I have terminated all of Corrin’s classes temporarily,” He said, staring at the details of Camilla’s face and watched as her expression grew progressively darker. She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off as soon as he could. “We shall be taking over instead, as it will help us become closer to her.” 

Her expression didn’t shift but only deepened. “Xander. We are not qualified to teach her, What would we even teach?!” 

“I’ve already laid that out, sister. Please, calm yourself.” He said, unfolding a piece of paper and holding it up, allowing Camilla to look over his shoulder and read off of it. “You shall take care of her etiquette classes, eating, speaking, acting and dressing like a proper Nohrian princess should, as well as her magic abilities, if she should prove she has them. I, on the other hand, shall take care of her combat techniques. Knowing Father, she will need to prove herself, much like you and I have already done. It is then that she needs to be trained on a weapon, perhaps a sword or lance.”   
  
“What about Leo?” Camilla asked, her purple eyes glossing over the page over and over again to find the name of her little brother. “If the point of this was to build a relationship with her, than Leo is most crucial. She doesn’t seem to like him...at all.”

“Which is why,” The older began, “he is going to be taking care of the most crucial lesson.” The two glanced back over to their little sister once more and saw her sitting back up, her silver hair in a mess as Jakob helped her to her feet and took her back inside under Gunter’s orders. 

*

“No.” Leo said sternly as he looked his older brother in the eyes. He soon turned his attention back to the history book he was reading and ignored Xander’s presence. 

Xander sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before glancing back at his stubborn younger brother. “You have no choice in this. You  _ will  _ see to it that Corrin learns to read and become more confident in her speaking skills. This is not a request, little brother. This is an order.”  

Leo groaned and and slammed the book before turning to look back at the crown prince who was still invading his chambers. “ONE lesson. Only one. If she doesn’t cooperate, you can count me out.” 

  
“That’s the best I am going to get out of you, isn’t it?”    
  
“Get out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BUNANANANANANANANANANANANA WHOO
> 
> SAY WHAT YOU MEEEAN  
> TELL ME I'M RIGGGHHTT  
> AND LET THE SUN RAIN DOWN ON MEEEE  
> GIVE ME A SIGGGN I WANNA BELIEEEEEVE
> 
> WHOOAAAA WHOA WHOA MONA LISAA  
> YOU'RE GUARANTEED TO RUN ThiS TOWN  
> WHOOAAAAAAAA WHOA WHOA MONA LISAA  
> I'D PAY TO SEE YOU FRRRROOOOOWWWN
> 
> i'm sorry
> 
> if you thought i was a serious writer you were wrong


	3. Education, to Learn but to also Teach.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of Corrin’s lessons have arrived, and the youngest of the group is certainly not looking forward to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, for a 10 year old, Leo sure knows a lot hot damn.  
> At the age of 10, I didn't even know half of the history behind Australia and look at him go!
> 
> Also hi, still recovering from writer's block.

The sun had risen once more, gifting the sky a hue of golden and peach colours. Looming over her bed, a butler and two maids stood. Two of the three were completely useless, couldn't do a thing right, the other was extremely capable yet never spoke. Felicia, Flora’s twin sister, was the one to wake up Corrin first; brushing the long silver hair out of the girl's eyes before calling her name softly to wake her from her slumber. 

 

Corrin flinched at the sound of her name as her eyes slowly fluttered open to greet the morning sun and her retainers. Her gaze first met the maids before traveling over to the butler who was already pouring her morning tea which was supposedly ‘helping’ her curse, but all it did was give Corrin an annoying headache. 

 

Next came breakfast. After the trio had made sure the princess had dressed and gotten ready, they walked with her down to the dining room on the 2nd level. The walk was, as usual, silent and composed, like every morning. Corrin had a habit of dining with her retainers and had expressed beforehand to Jakob that she felt extremely guilty when she got to dine first. Instead of agreeing with her, like he mentally did, he told her that it was just how everything worked when you were a princess. 

 

Much like her common title suggested, Corrin drifted in without so much of a glance from her siblings, as if she was a ghost. She received nothing but a nod from Xander, which in her opinion, was a bit too much. Flora had placed the princess's breakfast in front of her, and it just so happened to be her favourite dish by the ice maid, waffles with berries and Flora’s-special-top-secret ice cream. 

 

“Corrin,” began Xander, who placed his knife and fork on the plate he had finished eating from, “we, your siblings, will be seeing to your lessons today. Is that okay?” 

 

She didn't look up from her plate, instead she nodded to signify it was fine. She often felt that she couldn't disagree with her older brother. Her memories of their father were more...horrifying than anything else, and knowing Xander’s position as crown prince, she couldn't help but fear what he may tell the corrupt king. 

 

One of Corrin’s fears was execution. She hated it with all her being. Gunter had told her about Windmire and what kind of punishments transpired in the main square of the city.  A person, most likely one who had committed treason, would lay with their head laying on a plain block wood while their hands would remain secure and restrained behind their back. A man wearing black would step up with a shiny, steel axe in hand. What happened next, the great night glossed over, but it didn't stop the small girl from being horrified by the thought. 

 

With the thought of fresh blood and the smell of metal wafting through the musty atmosphere of the Northern Fortress, Corrin continued to eat in silence.  

 

*

Etiquette. Corrin usually hated this class but, with Camilla teaching, it wasn't so bad. It was certainly a step up from the cranky old mistress that used to be stationed in Castle Krakenburg but had moved here to teach Corin the ways of a Nohrian princess. She remembered how she was hit for stuttering or not responding with a certain attitude or not getting her accent right. She much preferred her languages teacher than to that old hag. 

 

The lesson was taking place in a large hall where the small girl could only assume that many balls were once held. Up at the far end of the hall was a giant staircase that stretched up to the next level up of the tower. Gold lined the handrails and many purple and silver curtains draped over the top of the room. Candlelight was usually the only source of light Corrin had seen in this room, but when the crystal chandelier was lit up, it was like a dream and she truly was in awe at the sight. Fond memories of dancing with Jakob through the hall would often crawl into Corrin’s mind as she watched Camilla show her how to address people as a princess of Nohr. 

 

“Now,” she started, patting down the black gown she wore. “Your turn.” Beforehand, Camilla stood up and introduced herself as the first princess of Nohr, and said a few things about her beliefs, her social standings and her opinions of Hoshidans. Of course, at that part Corrin flinched and her annoying tea headache came back, but she didn't know why nor did she care all that much. 

 

She traded stances with her older sister, taking her position upon a red ‘X’ Camilla had drawn on the floor beneath them, tainting the polished wood. The Nohrian royal had sat down gracefully and placed her right leg over the left and gestured for Corrin to begin. 

 

“I-i…” She took a deep breath, her voice shaking as she tried to recall the sounds Camilla made. She tried again, recomposing herself and separating half her hair and placing it upon her shoulders, as if it blinded herself from the nonexistent audience. “My n-name is...Ka...Corrin…” Camilla just gestured for her to breathe. “I-i am N-nohr’s...second princess…”

 

After stumbling on a few more words, she shook her head and sighed before marching back to the spare chair across from Camilla’s current seat. Corrin wasn't one to lie, but if she said she wasn't expecting a beating on failing that completely, she'd be betraying the one thing about herself she actually liked; her honesty. No, no, instead she felt warm hands cradling her cheeks before being pressed against her chest in a hug. 

 

The younger didn’t want to move for she felt safe and warm, even if she was pressed right up against Camilla’s breasts, she didn't care all that much. She wanted to stay there and never face the stern faces of her brothers again, for Leo hated her and Xander was only here because she was so useless. Camilla was one of the only people who made the small princess feel important or at all useful. 

 

“You're doing fine, dear Corrin,” she hummed as she ran her bony hands through her younger sister’s hair. “You just need more practice, that's all.” That's when Corrin began to miss the contact that Camilla so rudely stole away from her as she said that. She wanted her to continue hugging her, keeping her close. She wanted to feel loved for longer and to feel safe and away from all the mean guards in the fortress. 

 

“I-i-” Before Corrin could allow more words to stumble out of her mouth like a drunken man from a bar, Camilla placed a single finger upon her lips and told her to stay quiet. 

 

“Save your beautiful voice for your next lesson, sweetie.” While her voice sounded sincere, her eyes had a line of fear behind them, which could only mean one thing...

 

*

 

It had been an hour already into the lesson, and much like everyone had predicted, Leo was merciless on the poor girl. She sat opposite of him, her hands shielding her eyes from seeing her brother's face as he stared at her like she did him upon his arrival. He gave her a book on Nohr’s history and royal family and told her to read up until page 119 and then form a 5 minute speech that included all of the information that was compacted in those chapters. Despite him being very young, and the fact Corrin knew he couldn’t even do what he assigned of her, he was very knowledgeable and obviously better than her in every way.

 

She kept her head down, eyes flowing over the words (although not knowing what they meant, but hey, she was reading). Leo, on the other hand, just stared at her head, a fireball conjured from the tome he was reading floating steadily in his hand. Camilla had informed Corrin that Leo had great magical potential, well of course he would since his mother was a very powerful mage but, Camilla continued, she was not allowed to mention his mother unless she wished for scorpions in her bed when she awoke.

 

At last she gave up and closed the old book, it's pages closing with a soft ‘plap’ noise. She pushed the book back and stared at her younger brother, who stared at her in return. Mahogany eyes met crimson and he leaned back into his chair and smirked slightly, and Corrin knew that definitely wasn't going to be the last time she saw that feature upon his face. 

 

“Can't do it?” he asked with amusement dripping from his voice. As usual she didn't answer, just shook her head. “Cat got your tongue as well?” She didn't even know how to respond, she just sat there staring blankly at him before shrugging her shoulders. 

 

A sigh erupted from him as he stood up and sat in the vacant seat next to her. He pulled the book back over and opened the cover to reveal its contents and started from the back, opposed to the pages she thought she had to do. “Look, all you really have to know is this,” he said, pointing to the page in front of them which had a portrait of a quite young king who had neat black hair with a few grey hairs sticking out, and wore a kind smile. “This is our father, King Garon. The current ruler of Nohr. A few years back he arranged a peace treaty with the Hoshidan king, King Sumeragi,  who showed up but attack our father, who then retaliated out of self defense.”

 

For some reason as the younger continued his rant about Cheve, the girl’s head started pounding.  _ ‘Just another tea headache, I suppose,’ _ she thought as she tuned back into Leo’s one sided conversation. “Now there are just a few royals left. Back in the old days, one of our founding kings was called ‘Lyon’ he supposedly could speak to a dragon, but that happened to be a rumour passed down by the ages. That was when Nohr’s eastern territory was still considered a part of Grado, just after the destruction of Renais happened, and there were sacred stones. Now, the remaining stones were turned into divine weapons. Grado’s was hidden and never destroyed, despite the emperor's intentions. Instead it was made into Siegfried. A few others got either embedded or made into the current weapons of today, Raijinto of Hoshido, Brynhildr of Notre Sagesse, Fujin Yumi of Izumo, Yato of..well you get the point.”

 

Leo soon looked over to his sister who seemed, well...unemotional. Like always.  _ ‘Gods, does she even ever smile…? What does Camilla and Xander even see in her, anyway?’  _ She was such a...blank slate. Like an empty body waiting for a soul to inhabit it. She never really talked, only stared and nodded along. She clearly understood everything everyone said, also because she has the memory of an elephant (so in other words, it was an amazing brain that lacked the ability to unlock its full potential). She seemed so distant, so far, and he only felt the need to further increase the distance between them. Life was cruel like that. To give one a broken sister, Leo must truly be cursed with only the worst of luck that the gods themselves decided to torture him with, like one of those battle royales the king would take the three to every now and then. It was always rigged or unfair for the purpose of entertainment. Perhaps, that was this was. Entertainment. If so, he made a vow right then and there, that even if fate itself decides it's not so, Leo will win this silly little game the gods has placed him in. 

 

And like every game, there is a starting point, and of course, an end point. The end point of this game was the death of one of them. But the point of the game, was about her smile. Perhaps he could strike up a deal with Xander about this, and if Leo won, no more favours such as this little arrangement to teach the weird elf-esque girl. Of course, Leo has technically seen her smile, but the problem was, it didn't feel legitimate. On his second day here, he placed himself at the foot of an old tree near the old training grounds Xander occupied. In his hand, a book taken from the dusty old library Sir Gunter had led him to and there, above the pages, was Camilla and Corrin. Camilla chatting her beautiful head away while Corrin nodded with the weirdest smile he had ever seen. It was so off, so fake. He watched the two as they sat in the limited greenery provided to them in the isolated land, not to far from actual healthy life. 

 

His mind snapped back to reality as he heard a loud  _ ‘THUD’  _ coming from the table in front of him where the two children were seated. Corrin huffed as she looked back at him, his eyes once again being absorbed by her own. Oddly enough they were familiar to him, and how? He had no idea. He just knew there was a longing feeling in her eyes that was just so recognizable. Like she wished for someone to understand her, but due to her limited ability to communicate, she could never fully ask people to even try. In a way, he guessed he was in a similar situation. 

 

“No.” She stated simply. It was quite straight forward, and odd and a multitude of other things that could only scratch the surface of how confused the smaller was. 

 

“‘No’ what? Please, try to be more specific,” he said, gesturing his hands for her to continue. She obviously followed those instructions. 

 

“This. No. I don't...I can't…” She trailed off after that, he fidgety hands returning to her lap as her eyes left their contact with his and soon made their way to joining the limbs on the skirt of her dress. 

 

He sighed and pulled the book more toward him, scooping it into his arms and standing up, disappearing into the bookshelves with yet, another groan of disapproval. He came back a few seconds later with another book, but this time significantly smaller than the last, and placed it in front of her. 

 

“T-The story of...E-Ec-Ech-…”

 

“It’s called  _ ‘The story of Echo and Narcissus,’ _ ” He corrected her in a matter-of-fact tone. Which in return, she replied with a cock of the head. “It’s a story about a man who becomes so engulfed with his own reflection that even the one who is trying to reach out to him cannot get through to him. I feel it's fitting, and perhaps you'll enjoy something such as this.” He picked up the discarded fire tome on the opposite side of the table before returning to her side. “Ask Camilla if you get stuck on any words. I'll expect a summary of the tale by the end of the week.” And with that, he exited the large hall. 

  
The young princess turned to the first page and began to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No seriously, look at the smarty pants
> 
> HOMEWORK FOR YOU READERS  
> Go read the tale between Narcissus and Echo. It's actually really sad and I feel it's suiting to the current situation between these two.  
> The next chapter will rely heavily on the tale, and Leo will strategise on how to kill Corrin. Hunger Games, Nohr edition.
> 
> alSO LOOK  
> I STILL HAVEN'T FINISHED SCARED STONES, I AM AT LIKE CHAPTER 19 OKAY  
> I HEARD LYON IS THE FINAL BOSS AND I AM LIKE  
> BUT I LIKE HIM  
> SO  
> I JUST KINDA  
>  HEADCANONED THAT HE TOOK GRADO FROM HIS FATHER'S RULE AND TURNED A PART OF IT INTO NOHR WHILE GIVING THE REST TO EPHRAIM AND EIRIKA ALL LIKE "LOL SORRY ABOUT RENAIS HERE YOU GO"


End file.
